1998: Jaguars Edge Bears Thanks to Long Fourth Quarter Drive

The Jacksonville Jaguars opened the 1998 NFL season in Chicago against the Bears on September 6. Much was expected of the Jaguars, who were coming off of an injury-plagued year in 1997 but had nevertheless compiled an 11-5 record to place second in the AFC Central and reach the playoffs for the second straight season. Rigorous Tom Coughlin had been the head coach since Jacksonville entered the NFL as a 1995 expansion franchise, quickly turning the team into a contender. QB Mark Brunell (pictured above) was less mobile in ’97 due to a knee injury but remained a formidable left-handed passer, and he had an excellent pass receiving tandem in wide receivers Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. RB Fred Taylor had been chosen in the first round of the ’98 NFL draft although RB James Stewart, an original member of the team, was starting in the opening week.

Chicago, coached by Dave Wannstedt for the sixth year, was coming off of a 4-12 record the previous year. Erik Kramer was again the starting quarterback and RB Curtis Enis was taken with the fifth overall pick in the first round in an effort to bolster the running game, although he missed nearly all of training camp due to a contract holdout. Veteran RB Edgar Bennett, who had spent the previous five years with Green Bay, was also added to the roster. It was hoped that deep-threat WR Curtis Conway was healthy and would have an impact after missing nine games due to a broken collarbone. Moreover, there was much fan discontent with a club that had not reached the playoffs in four years.

There were 55,614 of those fans in attendance at Soldier Field on an 80-degree day. The teams traded punts before RB Tavian Banks of the Jaguars fumbled after catching a pass and the Bears recovered at the Jacksonville 37. The turnover led to the game’s first points as Jeff Jaeger kicked a 45-yard field goal.

In response, the Jaguars put together a long drive that included five completions by Mark Brunell. The first was to Jimmy Smith for 13 yards and Keenan McCardell had a 21-yard reception to the Chicago 46. Brunell converted a third-and-six situation with an eight-yard run and when he connected with McCardell again for nine yards, the visitors had a first-and-goal at the nine. But on the first play of the second quarter, Brunell threw a pass intended for Smith that was intercepted by CB Tom Carter to extinguish the threat.

On their next possession following a punt by the Bears, the Jaguars again moved effectively and this time didn’t fail to score. Brunell completed two passes to Smith and James Stewart (pictured at right) had a 30-yard carry around left end. The eight-play, 66-yard drive concluded with Stewart catching a toss from Brunell for a three-yard touchdown. Mike Hollis added the extra point and Jacksonville was in front by 7-3. The lead didn’t last long, however, when RB Glyn Milburn returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a TD. Jaeger’s point after had the Bears back on top by three points.

Short possessions by both offenses had the clubs trading punts until, with less than three minutes remaining in the first half, the Bears got the ball back at the Jacksonville 41 following another interception, this time by LB Barry Minter. Largely keeping the ball on the ground, Chicago advanced to the 16 in eight plays before Jaeger booted a 35-yard field goal with seven seconds left on the clock. The Bears took a 13-7 lead into halftime.

The home team had the first possession in the third quarter and, in a series that was highlighted by a pass from Erik Kramer to TE Ryan Wetnight for 30 yards, reached the Jacksonville 23, but Jaeger missed a 42-yard field goal attempt.

The teams traded punts until RB Ty Hallock of the Bears fumbled and LB Bryan Schwartz recovered at the Chicago 27. Following a three-yard run by Stewart, Brunell gained 17 yards on two carries and Stewart went seven yards for a TD. Hollis converted and Jacksonville was again in front by 14-13.

Once again the Bears turned the ball over on a fumble, this time by WR Bobby Engram after a pass reception, and the Jaguars had possession at the Chicago 32. Brunell passed to Smith for 20 yards and Stewart had a 16-yard run to set up a Hollis field goal from 23 yards early in the fourth quarter.

The Bears fought back with their next possession, advancing 72 yards. Kramer completed two passes and Curtis Enis had a 29-yard run among his three carries. Edgar Bennett gained the final yard for a TD and Jaeger’s PAT once again had Chicago on top by three points at 20-17.

A three-and-out series by the Jaguars led to a punt and the home team again moved effectively, featuring Enis runs of 14 and 13 yards and a Kramer pass to Engram for 21 yards on a third-and-three play to give the Bears first-and-goal at the Jacksonville four. However, two runs were followed by an incomplete pass and Chicago was forced to settle for a 19-yard Jaeger field goal.

Down by six points with 4:08 to play, the Jaguars started off their next possession after the kickoff at their own 13. Brunell threw to RB Daimon Shelton for eight yards and Jimmy Smith for seven. After a running play gained nothing, Brunell completed a total of six more passes, three of them to McCardell for 28 yards and the last to Smith for a four-yard touchdown. Having gone 87 yards in 13 plays to tie the score, Hollis added the all-important extra point and the Jaguars were up by one with 29 seconds left to play. Time ran out on the Bears at the Jacksonville 43 and the Jaguars came away with a 24-23 win.

Jacksonville led in total yards (367 to 321) and first downs (21 to 16). The Jaguars also converted half of their third downs (7 of 14) while Chicago was successful on five of 13. However, the visitors also turned the ball over three times to two suffered by the Bears.

Mark Brunell completed 22 of 35 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, giving up two interceptions, and was 8 of 9 for 73 yards during the climactic scoring drive. He also ran for 43 yards on six carries. James Stewart rushed for 115 yards on 26 attempts that included a TD. Jimmy Smith had 9 pass receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown and Keenan McCardell contributed 7 catches for 72 yards.

For the Bears, Erik Kramer was successful on 16 of 27 throws for 189 yards and no TDs, although also had none intercepted. Curtis Enis (pictured at left) performed well in his regular season NFL debut with 77 yards on 12 rushing attempts. Edgar Bennett added 30 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Curtis Conway topped the receivers with 6 receptions for 91 yards.

“We made a lot of errors,” said Jacksonville’s Coach Coughlin in evaluating his team’s performance. “I am pleased to win the game, but we have a lot of things to be corrected before we can expect to win consistently.”

The Jaguars won consistently enough, winning their first five games and going on to another 11-5 record that placed them first in the AFC Central. They won in the Wild Card playoff round before falling to the Jets at the Divisional level. After nearly pulling off an opening-week upset, Chicago lost its next three contests and ended up once again at 4-12 and last in the NFC Central.

As a footnote, neither running back that topped the Jaguars and Bears in rushing in Week 1 went on to have a big season. James Stewart was quickly supplanted by Fred Taylor and ended up with 217 yards on 53 carries (4.1 avg.). Curtis Enis suffered a knee injury and gained 497 yards on 133 attempts (3.7 avg.).

1997: Saints Edge Bears in Mike Ditka’s Return to Chicago

Mike Ditka had been a popular and successful player and coach with the Chicago Bears, and was making his return to Chicago as head coach of the New Orleans Saints for a game on October 5, 1997. It was hardly a marquee matchup, however, as both teams were playing poorly. There were those pundits who referred to the contest as “the Peyton Manning Bowl”, with the presumption that the loser might well be on the way to having the first overall pick in the ’98 NFL draft that would presumably be used to select the Univ. of Tennessee’s star quarterback.

The Saints were coming off a 3-13 record in 1996 and, with Ditka now at the helm, had a 1-4 tally thus far. The defense was showing signs of improvement, but the offense was mediocre at best. QB Heath Shuler was a first-round bust in Washington and clearly nothing more than a stopgap for his new team. WR Randal Hill was the best of the receivers, the running backs were nondescript, and the line, other than OT William Roaf, was poor.

The Bears, in their fifth year under Ditka’s successor as head coach, Dave Wannstedt, were just a shadow of the team that had won in double figures five times in a row under “Iron Mike”, including a NFL Championship in 1985. Chicago had last been to the playoffs in ’94, was coming off a 7-9 record in ’96, and was off to an abysmal 0-5 start. QB Erik Kramer was under challenge from another first-round disappointment, Rick Mirer, late of the Seahawks. RB Raymont Harris led the running game but the best wide receiver, Curtis Conway, was injured. The defense was not at all formidable, especially the weak pass rush.

There were 58,865 fans in attendance for the Sunday night game at Soldier Field and they gave Ditka a warm welcome. The game they saw was sloppy, at best. The teams traded punts to start the contest before New Orleans RB Mario Bates fumbled and DT Paul Grasmanis recovered for the Bears at the Saints’ 32. Rick Mirer immediately threw to TE Ryan Wetnight for a gain of 24 yards and, four plays later, Jeff Jaeger kicked a 23-yard field goal.

The Bears quickly got the ball back when FS John Mangum intercepted a pass by Heath Shuler, but they were unable to capitalize on the turnover this time and punted. Neither team was able to mount a threat for the remainder of the opening period.

That remained the case until, with just over four minutes remaining in the half, Shuler completed a pass to TE John Farquhar for 42 yards to the Chicago 27. Another completion to Farquhar picked up nine yards and, as the clock ticked down to the two-minute warning, Doug Brien kicked a 38-yard field goal to tie the score at 3-3, and thus it remained at halftime.

The Bears, who now had Erik Kramer at quarterback, had the opening possession of the third quarter, went three-and-out, and punted. Shuler completed two passes and Bates then broke away for a 49-yard touchdown run. Brien added the extra point and the visitors were in front by 10-3.

Following another Chicago punt, the Saints advanced 41 yards in eight plays, the biggest of which was a 27-yard run by FB Ray Zellars. The drive stalled at the Bears’ 31 and Brien booted a 48-yard field goal to stretch the New Orleans lead to ten points.

The penalty-filled contest headed into the fourth quarter. The Bears finally mounted a scoring drive after getting good field position at the New Orleans 33 following a punt from deep inside Saints’ territory. Kramer threw to WR Chris Penn for 14 yards and to WR Bobby Engram for 12 in a third-and-five situation at the 14. Kramer carried for the last yard and a TD, and with Jaeger’s conversion, the New Orleans lead was cut to 13-10.

On the next series, Shuler fumbled deep in his own territory and DT Jim Flanigan recovered at the Saints’ eight. A pass interference penalty in the end zone moved the ball to the one and from there Raymont Harris blasted up the middle for a TD. Jaeger added the extra point and the Bears were in front by 17-13 with six minutes left in the game.

The home crowd was cheering, but the celebration, as well as Chicago’s lead, didn’t last long. On the first play following the ensuing kickoff, Shuler passed to WR Randal Hill and he went the distance for an 89-yard touchdown. Brien kicked the PAT and the Saints were back on top by three.

With Kramer passing on almost every down, the Bears moved down the field, converting a fourth down along the way. But after reaching the New Orleans 38, Kramer was sacked on third down for a six-yard loss by DT Wayne Martin and a fourth down pass to Engram came up a yard short. That essentially settled the matter – Chicago got the ball back once more following a New Orleans punt, but with 12 seconds remaining. Ditka and the Saints came away winners by a score of 20-17.

The teams combined for 21 punts, with 12 by the Bears and 9 for New Orleans, and 18 penalties, evenly distributed at nine apiece. The Saints accumulated the most total yards (322 to 266) while Chicago had more first downs (19 to 11). New Orleans also recorded five sacks, to two by the Bears, but also turned the ball over three times, while Chicago had none. 

Heath Shuler completed just 9 of 23 passes for 195 yards and the one long touchdown as well as one interception. Randal Hill (pictured above), thanks to the big TD, gained 121 yards on 5 catches. Ray Zellars rushed for 65 yards on 14 carries and Mario Bates contributed 58 yards and a touchdown on his 9 attempts.

For the Bears, Rick Mirer was successful on only 7 of his 16 throws for 58 yards and Erik Kramer was 12 of 20 for 131 yards in relief. Raymont Harris gained 82 yards on 28 rushing attempts that included a score. Bobby Engram had 6 pass receptions for 59 yards.

“I’m sure a lot of people turned off their TVs, it wasn’t pretty,” summed up Mike Ditka.

The Saints went on to lose their next three games, although they rallied somewhat during the second half of the season to finish with a 6-10 record that placed fourth in the NFC West. Chicago reached 0-7 before finally entering the win column and placed last in the NFC Central at 4-12. Despite the “Peyton Manning Bowl” speculation, it was the 3-13 Indianapolis Colts who ultimately ended up with the first overall draft pick that was used to take Manning.

As for the game’s two starting quarterbacks, Heath Shuler’s winning touchdown pass was one of only two that he tossed all season, while giving up 14 interceptions and losing the starting job (ultimately to Billy Joe Hobert). It would prove to be the last year of his disappointing pro career. Rick Mirer yielded the starting job back to Erik Kramer and threw a total of 103 passes in 1997, with none for touchdowns and six interceptions, and averaging just 4.1 yards per attempt. He moved on to journeyman status, starting with a year in Green Bay in which he saw no action.

Mike Ditka’s stated intention was to have the Saints in contention in three years, but another 6-10 record in 1998 was followed by a controversial decision to trade the entire 1999 draft slate in order to move up in the first round and take RB Ricky Williams, the highly-touted Heisman Trophy winner from Texas. The result was a drop to 3-13 and Ditka was finished, having posted a record of 15-33 in New Orleans.

2002: Green & Gonzalez Star as Chiefs Upset Dolphins

In their second season under Head Coach Dick Vermeil, the Kansas City Chiefs were 1-2 on September 29, 2002 as they hosted the Miami Dolphins. QB Trent Green (pictured above) had been considered a disappointment after coming over from the Rams with great expectations as the club went 6-10 in 2001. All-Pro TE Tony Gonzalez and RB Priest Holmes brought great talent to their positions. Defense was a concern, and while the team had scored 94 points in its first three contests, it had also given up 103.

Miami, coached by Dave Wannstedt, had been to the playoffs in each of the preceding five seasons. Coming off an 11-5 record in ’01, they were off to a 3-0 start and benefiting from the performance of RB Ricky Williams, who had been obtained during the offseason from New Orleans and seemed finally ready to play to his full potential (394 rushing yards in the first three contests). QB Jay Fiedler was competent and WR Chris Chambers was coming off a promising rookie year.

Things started out well for the Dolphins as WR Albert Johnson returned the opening kickoff 49 yards and they drove 52 yards in four plays. Fiedler tossed a pass to Williams that gained 29 yards to the Kansas City one and the quarterback took it up the middle himself for the last yard and the early lead.

The Chiefs responded with a solid 73-yard drive in 11 plays that featured Green passing to Gonzalez for 30 yards in a third-and-six situation to the Miami 38. Green completed three other passes, including the nine-yard touchdown throw to Gonzalez. With Morten Andersen’s extra point, it was a tie game.

It didn’t stay that way for long. On the second play of Miami’s next possession, Williams fumbled and LB Marvcus Patton recovered for the Chiefs. Green tossed a pass to Gonzalez for a short gain but, following two incompletions, Andersen booted a 50-yard field goal to make it 10-7.

The Dolphins came right back with a methodical drive of 12 plays that covered 56 yards and extended into the second quarter. Fiedler completed all six of his passes and Olindo Mare kicked a 42-yard field goal to again tie the score. However, KC came back quickly as Green threw to Gonzalez once more for a 32-yard gain on first down and Priest Holmes finished the four-play series with a 25-yard touchdown carry. In a span of 1:21, the Chiefs were back in front at 17-10.

Four plays into the next series, Fiedler was intercepted by CB Eric Warfield and Kansas City capitalized four plays after that with another Green TD pass, this one to WR Johnnie Morton from eight yards out. The teams traded punts before Williams took off on a 30-yard carry into KC territory and the Dolphins added three points on a Mare field goal from 29 yards.

Following a short possession by the Chiefs, Miami put together another scoring drive of 49 yards in nine plays. Fiedler was successful on seven throws and, on the last play of the first half, Mare kicked a 25-yard field goal to narrow Kansas City’s lead to 24-16.

The Chiefs added points on their first possession of the third quarter, going 80 yards in seven plays that culminated in Green going yet again to Gonzalez for a 42-yard touchdown. But Miami responded quickly as Fiedler threw to WR Oronde Gadsden for 20 yards and Chambers for 38 on back-to-back passes. The four-play series covered 77 yards and ended with Williams running for a three-yard touchdown. Kansas City was ahead by 31-23.

The teams traded punts but the Chiefs were in Miami territory at the end of the period primarily thanks to a Green pass to Holmes that gained 24 yards. Early in the fourth quarter, Green connected with Gonzalez for a six-yard touchdown and, with the successful PAT, a 38-23 lead.

Once again the Dolphins responded quickly, going 63 yards in five plays. WR James McKnight started things off with a 19-yard carry on an end-around play and Fiedler threw to Gadsden for 21 yards. Following a 12-yard keeper by Fiedler, he tossed a six-yard TD pass to FB Rob Konrad and another successful extra point again made it an eight-point contest at 38-30.

Miami got the ball back at its 29 after a short Kansas City possession, but on the third play Fiedler was intercepted by safety Greg Wesley, who returned it 42 yards to the Miami 16. Holmes ran the ball three times and Andersen kicked a 24-yard field goal to make it 41-30.

Two plays after the kickoff, Wesley again intercepted a Fiedler throw and the Chiefs again capitalized two plays after that with Green throwing his fifth scoring pass of the game, of three yards to TE Billy Baber that was set up by a 17-yard completion to Gonzalez. It proved to be game-clinching. Any last hopes for the Dolphins were snuffed out when Wesley picked off a Fiedler pass for the third time on the next series and Kansas City won impressively by a score of 48-30.

The teams combined for 849 yards of offense with the Chiefs gaining the most (450 to 399) while Miami had more first downs (28 to 25). The Dolphins turned the ball over five times, however, while KC suffered none.

Trent Green completed 24 of 34 passes for 328 yards with the five touchdowns and no interceptions. Priest Holmes gained just 52 yards on 23 carries that included a TD and also caught 6 passes for 63 yards. Tony Gonzalez (pictured below) was the receiving star with 7 catches for 140 yards and three touchdowns.

For the Dolphins, Jay Fiedler was successful on 29 of 45 throws for 310 yards and a TD while also tossing four interceptions, which were especially devastating in the second half. Ricky Williams ran the ball 14 times for 66 yards and a touchdown and had 60 more yards on a team-leading 7 pass receptions. Chris Chambers gained 102 yards on 6 catches.

The big point total proved to be nothing unusual for the Chiefs as they went on to be the highest-scoring team in the NFL with 467 points. However, giving up too many points assured that they failed to win consistently and Kansas City ended up on the bottom of the AFC West at 8-8. Still, the stage was set for a major improvement in 2003. Miami came back to win its next two games, but then lost three straight on the way to a 9-7 finish for third place in the AFC East and out of the postseason for the first time since 1996 – a dry spell that would last until 2008.

Trent Green improved greatly from his 2001 performance, ranking fourth in the league in passing (92.6 rating) while throwing for 3764 yards and 26 touchdowns. He led the NFL in yards per attempt (7.9) and his interceptions dropped from a league-leading 24 in ’01 to 13.

Even though his numbers were down from those of previous years, Tony Gonzalez was still considered to be the best all-around tight end in the league and earned a fourth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl by catching 63 passes for 773 yards (12.3 avg.) and seven touchdowns. Priest Holmes ran for a career-high 1615 yards and also earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors as he led the league in touchdowns (24) and scoring (144 points).

1994: Vikings Prevail Over Bears with Moon-to-Carter TD in Overtime

The Minnesota Vikings had obtained 37-year-old QB Warren Moon (pictured at right) from the Houston Oilers after the 1993 season, with the hope that, having fallen short in the postseason in 1992 and ’93, the addition of the prolific passer would take them deeper into the playoffs. For sure, the addition of Moon, who had been operating in a pass-heavy run-and-shoot offense in Houston, changed the complexion of the offense and Head Coach Dennis Green’s team got off to a 7-2 start in ’94. But coming into the December 1 game against the Chicago Bears, the Vikings had lost three straight and were 7-5.

The Bears, under second-year Head Coach Dave Wannstedt, had won four consecutive games and were 8-4, putting them ahead of Minnesota in the NFC Central division. QB Erik Kramer had been brought in as a free agent to direct the offense, but struggled when he wasn’t injured. Fifth-year veteran Steve Walsh had been effective in his place – a career backup with a notoriously weak arm, he was also a smart game manager who could be effective in a conservative offense. Chicago was a team of no-names, but it was in the thick of the playoff race and had not lost with Walsh starting at quarterback.

There were 61,483 fans for the Thursday night game at the Metrodome. Things started off well for the Vikings when, on the game’s third play from scrimmage, CB Dewayne Washington intercepted a Walsh pass and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown. The Bears came right back, however, driving 67 yards in nine plays with Walsh throwing to RB Robert Green for a 39-yard TD to tie the score at 7-7.

The teams traded punts until midway through the second quarter when Fuad Reveiz kicked a 45-yard field goal that put the Vikings ahead again at 10-7. After LB Ashley Sheppard recovered a Walsh fumble with just under two minutes left in the half, Minnesota put more points on the board as Reveiz booted a 41-yard field goal on the last play of the half. It was 13-7 in favor of the Vikings at the intermission.

Minnesota went three-and-out in the first possession of the third quarter, and the ensuing punt was returned 60 yards for a touchdown by WR Jeff Graham. With the successful extra point, the Bears were in front for the first time at 14-13. The Vikings responded by driving 55 yards in 10 plays, and Reveiz kicked his third field goal, of 29 yards, to put Minnesota back in the lead at 16-14.

Chicago came back to score again. An 11-play, 64-yard drive that was highlighted by a 30-yard pass completion from Walsh to WR Greg McMurtry resulted in a 29-yard field goal by Kevin Butler and renewed lead of 17-16. That one-point margin expanded quickly when Minnesota WR Qadry Ismail fumbled the kickoff return and LB Barry Minter recovered for the Bears at the Vikings’ 33 yard line. Three plays later Walsh passed to McMurtry for a 15-yard touchdown and Chicago had a 24-16 lead after three quarters.

Early in the fourth quarter, Reveiz kicked a fourth field goal for the Vikings, from 38 yards, to narrow the score to 24-19. The teams traded punts, but a fumble by Bears RB Lewis Tillman gave Minnesota the ball at the Chicago 15 yard line. The Vikings capitalized when Moon tossed a one-yard touchdown pass to WR Cris Carter. Following a successful two-point conversion on a Moon pass to TE Andrew Jordan, Minnesota was back in front at 27-24.

Still, the Bears came back as WR Nate Lewis returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards and Butler tied the game just after the two-minute warning on a 33-yard field goal. Both teams had opportunities to win in regulation, but after trading punts, a long bomb by Moon was intercepted by CB Donnell Woolford at the Chicago three yard line.

The Bears won the toss in the overtime period and appeared set to win as they drove to the Minnesota 22 in nine plays. But Butler’s 40-yard field goal attempt was wide to the left, and two plays later Moon connected with Carter for a 65-yard touchdown that produced a 33-27 win for the Vikings.


Minnesota outgained the Bears, 385 yards to 312, and had 21 first downs to Chicago’s 15. Warren Moon completed 27 of 48 passes for 306 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Cris Carter (pictured at left) caught 9 passes for 124 yards and two TDs. RB Terry Allen gained 74 yards rushing on 18 carries.

For the Bears, Steve Walsh was successful on 24 of 33 passes for 233 yards with two TDs and one picked off. Robert Green led the receivers with 6 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown out of the backfield, and ran the ball three times for 15 more yards. Lewis Tillman led the running attack with just 49 yards on 21 attempts.

Minnesota went on to place first in the NFC Central with a 10-6 record while the 9-7 Bears, along with Green Bay and Detroit, made it into the playoffs as a wild card team (officially, due to tiebreakers, they finished fourth in the division). Chicago had lost both of its games against the Vikings during the season, but avenged the losses in the Wild Card playoff by a score of 35-18. The Bears lost to the 49ers in the Divisional playoff game.

Warren Moon became the first 4000-yard passer in Vikings history, with an NFC-leading 4264. However, while he threw 18 touchdown passes, he also ranked second in the league with 19 interceptions.

Cris Carter set a new NFL record with 122 pass receptions and ranked seventh in the NFL in receiving yards with 1256. While he would duplicate the pass receiving total in ’95, Detroit’s Herman Moore broke the record with 123 catches.

Steve Walsh (pictured below) went 8-3 as the starting quarterback for the Bears, and while Moon outranked him in the passing rankings (79.9 to 77.9), Walsh had the lower interception percentage (2.3 to 3.2). However, he threw just 10 TD passes to his 8 interceptions and averaged a lowly 6.1 yards per attempt. He went back on the bench in ’95 and started a total of three games (all in 1996 with the Rams) in the remaining five years of his career.